Everyone agrees that a good .22 firearm is a great weapon to have in your arsenal but if you could only have one, a rifle or pistol, what would you recommend? I've got both and cost really isn't an issue some can only purchase one. If I had to bug out I would opt for the pistol. if i had to get rid of one altogether it would be an agonizing choice.

A riffle can also give those same options .22 LR, Short etc. It just needs to be a bolt action. I have an extremely accurate single shot bolt that is a great little gun. Old H&R Pioneer. Been shooting it since I was a kid and it is my favorite gun. Harvested more meat in the way of rabbits and squirrels with it numbers wise than all of my other guns combined. Never need more than one shot with it normally. Sights on it are Lyman peep micro sights and they are very accurate.

A riffle can also give those same options .22 LR, Short etc. It just needs to be a bolt action. I have an extremely accurate single shot bolt that is a great little gun. Old H&R Pioneer. Been shooting it since I was a kid and it is my favorite gun. Harvested more meat in the way of rabbits and squirrels with it numbers wise than all of my other guns combined. Never need more than one shot with it normally. Sights on it are Lyman peep micro sights and they are very accurate.

Monkymate

can be semi as well just a pain to load.. bolt guns seem to have more power and less noise then a .22 semi because all the gas goes down the barrel it also force more gas down .. I just find the bullet has a litte more ump behind what it hits..

I would have to say that for the average shooter a rifle would be best, however if you are skilled at handgunning a 22 handgun is indespensable. It will allow you to hunt for food and keep yourself somewhat protected. Take a lesson from old outdoorsmen who traveled the noth country. They to the man carried a high power rifle of many different calibers, however they carried 22 handguns for food. This allowed them to stay out for extended stays in the wilderness. Now a point of concern. Can we as a group of responsible gun owners quit calling everything that goes bang a weapon? The NRA has warned its instructors to quit using this word as it fuels the fires of the anti groups. We also need to loose the word " assult" form our vocabulary. Just a bit of a rant on my part but we need to get the best press if we want to keep our rights in these times of strife.

My first hand gun I bought is a .22 Heritage pistol. It's single action, and the chamber can be changed to shoot .22 magnum. It's pretty accurate, but man I hate cleaning a revolver. Rifles will always be better with any round due to the fact they project a higher velocity.

Depends on what my limiting factors would be... In most cases, I would opt for a SCOPED rifle first. If there were certain circumstances, I would probably opt for the next best thing, a long barrel revolver, at least 6 inches in length. A 6 inch revolver gives you the ability to conceal it and it gives you decent accuracy for shooting too.